After spending two weeks in Pokhara, I can confidently say that I will be back one day. Pokhara represents the real Nepal, as opposed to Kathmandu which is insanely busy and far too polluted. Despite having a few slight mishaps (a short stint in hospital and general sickness) I managed to explore Pokhara's lakeside with relative ease.

Some fellow volunteers and I commandeered some rowboats across Fewa Lake to a hiking trail. After a fairly short, but vertical climb we basked in not only the glory of the world peace pagoda, but the fact that we survived the climb. We got a spectacular view of Pokhara, the lake and also the Himalayas.

Aside from that, I spent most of my time in Pokhara admiring the local handicraft and the delicious food. The food is generally inspired by Tibetan and Indian cuisine, and ranges from intense curries to a standard dal bhat (lentil soup, rice, vegetable curry and possibly some meat).

Similar to India, the general population do not eat beef due to many people being Hindu. For that reason cows are sacred in Nepal and can be seen stopping traffic entirely on main roads.

To anyone considering a trip to Nepal I would certainly recommend Pokhara over Kathmandu any time. I head to Chitwan tomorrow by bus, taking five hours to cover 150km.